ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · bark · toast · track · saw · prune · season · chest

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. track — a path
  3. toast — bread
  4. prune — to trim
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. chest — a box
  7. season — in sport
  8. track — a song
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — a position
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. ground — the earth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chest — of your body
  22. season — of the year
  23. ground — crushed
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com